Tomorrow's Dream
by A. LaRosa
Summary: Sukka, one-shot. “I don’t know if I want to come down from this... I like it too much. What I like even more about it is that you’re here with me, safe and in my arms. That’s how I want it to be for the rest of our lives.” Review!


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender; Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have me beat in that area. Those crazy geniuses.

**Author's Note**: Okay, so I basically went above and beyond for this fic. I really didn't intend for it to be this long, but it took over. To celebrate the ending of a magnificent series, I decided to not be a tease and give you the full story, not cutting off just before it gets good. It's not as graphic as it could possibly be (while still being quite descriptive), but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Please, **review **when you're done and tell me what you think! That new 'reader traffic' feature is interesting, but shows a lot of people read, but... you get the idea. Enjoy!

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_**Tomorrow's Dream**_

**Rating**: R

_August 3, 2008_

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Trying to push the pain of his leg out of his mind, Sokka surveyed the final minutes of the battle between Aang and Ozai, hoping to put everything into perspective. From what he saw, it was a magnificent light show–sadly, he thought to himself, he missed the best part: seeing the fully realized Avatar. Sure, he had seen Ozai fall and he was elated about that, and he felt immensely proud of Aang and his abilities, but... he wanted to feel like a proud father watching his child finally accomplishing what his entire life's goal was meant to be from birth.

Even though the Water Tribesman sighed, he had a smile on his face as his eyes darted to different locations in the distance. Pain seared up his leg from that nasty fall, emptiness clawed at his stomach for losing two of his most sacred possessions that defined who he was as a warrior, but... he couldn't bring himself to brood or to be upset. His family and friends were safe, sound, and–most importantly–very alive, and if he had a choice to go back and repeat the process with the ability to decide which he'd want more, he would still choose the same thing.

Along that train of thought, he shifted his line of sight to Suki, who was piloting their course to Aang. Rather, piloting and hoping they were headed in the right direction, since that's where they saw him last and figured he couldn't be too far off.

His small smile grew to one that resembled a lovesick man as he took in the sight of her. Earlier, his heart nearly dropped out of his chest when she fell. Yue cut into his thoughts at that time, and the pain of almost losing Suki in that same way became more real than it did with Yue–he knew then by the tone of his own voice that the lump in his throat grew, watching her fall. Even when she said she was all right and to go on without her, he felt that lump grow. He knew that he had loved Yue and felt a semblance of those feelings in return, but they weren't even close to the caliber he felt about the Kyoshi Warrior in front of him.

Not by a long shot.

Suki had ordered him to remain sitting while they were in the air, just in case something happened that would prompt him to fall over, which he had already done once. She didn't want him hurting himself more than necessary, especially if she had anything to say about it. Despite her warnings, she couldn't help but smile softly as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her torso, hugging her from behind.

"I thought I told you to stay sitting down," she murmured, keeping her eyes focused on the expanse of land in front of her. She tried not to hear Toph scoffing in the background; the Earthbender was rather silent, though, for this journey, and she didn't know how to take that–nonetheless, she felt herself sinking into her boyfriend's embrace.

"I couldn't resist," he mumbled into her hair after kissing the top of her head. Slowly, he moved to nuzzle the crook of her neck, pressing soft kisses to the sensitive skin there. She felt him smile against her skin as she unconsciously tilted her head to the left to give him more access.

"Sokka," she breathed, her face feeling rather warm, "now's not a good time."

"Why not?" he responded, ignoring the half-hearted attempts to pull out of his grasp.

"I am piloting an airship, if you haven't noticed."

"I realized that. I realized a lot of things today that I think you should know about," he murmured against her skin, now pressing wet kisses along her neck, dipping down to her shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, interested in what he had to say. Making the mistake of turning her head to look at him, he captured her lips almost instantly, taking her breath away without effort. It took about a minute for her to realize that they were still in a moving ship and no one was paying attention. "Sokka," she gasped, though smiling.

He grinned cheekily, loosening his hold on her, now using her for balance more than anything.

"So, what are those things that you realized that you wanted to let me know?" Suki asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"There's a time and a place for everything," he murmured lowly, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Though, could you help me find something to wrap my leg up with? It's being a pain in my–well, leg–but, really, a pain in my ass. Can you think of anything?"

She bit her bottom lip–something Sokka found irresistibly cute–trying to figure out something that would hold until they got to a proper healer to assess what he did to his leg.

Deciding that everything within the airship was metal, metal, more metal, or Fire Nation, she frowned, sighing as she crossed her arms over her chest. Just as she did that, an idea sparked in her mind, and she smiled. "I'm wearing something, actually, that could be used. Hold on," she said, ignoring the look of confusion on Sokka's face as she turned around, undid the clasp around her neck, and tugged her top off over her head.

"Suki, what–" his voice died in his throat as he watched her move swiftly, holding her shirt between her legs as she carefully unwrapped her chest bindings. The need for water in his suddenly dry mouth was strong, but not as strong as the feeling of all of the blood in his body rushing to a specific area.

When he spoke, she turned slightly, giving him a side view of her breasts, before realizing that and turning back, finishing the job. She slipped her top back on, bindings in her hands. It was safe to say that Sokka's face was a lovely shade of pink. It's not that he hadn't seen them before. That definitely wasn't the case... but whenever he _had_ seen her breasts, it was in really dim lighting. Plus, this time he wasn't even expecting to see them. Now, in the light of day, he couldn't help but openly admire her physique.

Taking in the sight of him, she blushed, seeing his evident arousal. "Calm down, Sokka," she said softly, and Toph made a grunt of agreement, reminding the two warriors that she was still in the room–still not speaking, but aware of how fast their heart rates were and where they stood.

His face was scarlet now, a hand behind his neck rubbing it nervously, thoroughly embarrassed at his body's betrayal of his thoughts. "Sorry, I can't help it."

She nodded in understanding, giving him a warm smile, which did make his nerves feel better.

However, what didn't help was when she got down on her knees in front of him to check out his leg. That gave him an image he tried to push out of his mind, no matter how enticing it was.

"Keep an eye on where we're going, will you? And watch out for Aang?" she asked from her low point, trying to plan the best way to check his injury without hurting him further. "It's your left leg, right?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, putting a hand on the steering wheel, trying to mentally block himself from his girlfriend so close to... him.

First, she lifted his leg slowly and pulled off his boot, wincing at the hardened look on his face–she thought it was because of the pain, clueless that it was for something else entirely. She took in a sharp breath at the look of his swollen, bruised ankle. "Oh, Sokka," she frowned, slightly apprehensive about dressing his wound. "This does not look good."

His eyes didn't waver from the expanse ahead. "I know. I fell a pretty good distance before I landed horribly, as usual. I'd rather it being my leg, not something more major or annoying–or, hell, even missing that piece of the ship and plummeting–"

"I get it," she murmured sadly, not wanting him to paint that picture in her mind of what could have happened in actuality. "I'm sorry if I hurt you when I do this, but I know you're strong."

The way that she said that made Sokka's heart swell in his chest, and she was so focused on his ankle that she missed the adoring smile he gave her.

Suki began to wrap his leg slowly and delicately, hoping not to aggravate the injury further. It didn't help that they were on a moving aircraft, but she tried the best she could.

The next thing he knew, she was finished, and they had spotted Aang and the defeated Fire Lord.

They prepared for their descent.

--

After they had secured the former Fire Lord in a chamber of the airship, which was being guarded by the blind Earthbender (who was now more vocal, especially in humiliating the fallen ruler), they charted a course back to the Fire Nation to see the aftermath of the final battle between brother and sister–hoping for nothing but the best.

Although his disposition had greatly improved from days previous, Aang was still worried. Sokka figured it was for the future of the four nations, but Suki knew better in guessing that he was worrying about the safety of his friends, most likely Katara. He may be young, but the heart knows what it wants.

"Aang?" Suki asked softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts. He didn't hear her come up to him.

"Yes?" his eyes met hers, and she could see the lingering concern.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything," she smiled softly at the young boy, who now seemed slightly confused. "You're probably going to get that a lot, but I wanted to be one of the first. Thank you for giving the world its long-awaited salvation and for ending the war; you may have lived during a time without war, but we haven't, and I'm grateful that you've been able to give us something so precious."

He nodded with a smile, deciding not to argue that point as he normally would have. The Avatar's eyes widened slightly when Suki leaned over to give him a hug, pulling him into an embrace, since that was something that had never happened before in the time they had known each other.

Taking their proximity as an advantage, she whispered, "I'm sure she's fine. If there's anything I know about that family, they're stubborn and they won't go down without a fight, especially if there's something to lose. You'll be together again, don't worry."

Pulling away, she gave Aang another smile, walking over to where Sokka was pretending not to watch with a slightly jealous glint in his eye. Seeing this look on his face, Suki rolled her eyes at the young man. She held out her hand for him to take, which he took without hesitation to stand, but then wrapped his arm around her shoulders for balance.

"I have to go stretch my legs for a bit, I've been standing still for too long," Suki said, speaking to Aang. "We'll be back soon, okay?"

"If I can figure out how to use the intercom, I'll let you know when we're almost there," he grinned, rubbing the back of his head as his eyes darted around to the mass selection of levers and knobs in front of him.

When they had moved out of Aang's earshot and into a small hallway, Sokka scoffed. "If you didn't notice, I can't quite stretch my legs right about now. I can barely hobble."

"I can't tell a thirteen-year-old boy that I'm going to go maul my boyfriend, his best friend, can I? Plus, there's a time and a place for everything," she responded, giving him a pointed look.

"Good point," he replied, grinning wickedly.

"Come on, let's go down a floor and find somewhere... cozy."

His grin grew.

After a couple minutes, Suki spotted a dead-end hallway that looked promising. She lightly tugged Sokka's hand in that direction, prompting a chuckle at the look of triumph on her face. She brought them to the end of the hallway before turning back to him, her excitement simmering at the look in his eyes.

Without a word, Sokka leaned in, capturing her lips with his own. She responded just as hungrily, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her, deepening the kiss. He cupped her cheek with his free hand as he used the other one to maintain balance, which he was currently finding hard to accomplish with the way his head was swimming at the touch of her, taste of her.

Realizing that it probably wasn't easy–or pain-free–for Sokka to be standing for so long, Suki momentarily broke the kiss to tell him to sit against the wall, which he complied to, before straddling him and resuming where they left off.

Although the position was far more comfortable for them down on the floor, they both felt like they were burning up from the amount of clothes they had on–Sokka more so than Suki, though she was receiving heat from the fur trim on his clothing on her legs, as well as her shoulders. As she began fumbling with the clasp at the back of her top again for the second time that day, Sokka took the hint and made haste with his own clothes, finding it rather difficult to do so with her on him, which he voiced quietly. She moved off of him to kick off her shoes, pull off her shirt, followed by her forearm coverings, followed by her pants–leaving her in the scrap of undergarments she had left. Meanwhile, Sokka had taken off anything related to his warrior's uniform, which included everything with fur on it, as well as the guards on his arms. At preference, he took off his undershirt, as well, not even bothering at the moment to attempt on his pants before pulling her back into his arms.

"Aren't you afraid of either one of them coming to look for us?" he asked her, smirking at her behavior.

"Aang's piloting and Toph's playing bodyguard. No one else on the ship can come find us, and we'd feel it if we landed."

"Good point," he responded, kissing along her jaw before finding her lips and kissing them softly. "Very, very good point."

"Sokka, have I ever told you that you talk too much?" she chuckled, tugging the tie out of his hair so she could run her hand through it.

Suki grinned at the dopey smile on Sokka's face before pulling him back off the wall a little bit to press her chest against his, skin on skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him powerfully, one hand buried in his hair, the other pressed against the wall behind them.

He leaned back slightly, only so the contact between their chests would be broken–solely because he wanted to touch her. Taking that as it was, Suki pulled herself back, never breaking the kiss, so Sokka could lean against the wall again. Her hands found themselves on his shoulders, running down his arms, and over his chest, unable to stay still or in one place for long.

One of his hands moved from her hips and traveled up her waist to her breasts. As his hand made contact, cupping her breast, she moaned into the kiss, urging him on. He moved from kissing her lips to her jaw, down to her neck. Her head tilted back and her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed and sucked on a sensitive spot, biting her bottom lip to hold back a moan.

After he was sure he left a mark, he tilted her backwards slightly as he trailed down her collarbone to her breasts, kissing them. She gasped softly as his tongue dragged along her sensitive skin. Despite her enjoyment, she could feel his obvious excitement pressed up against her; as a result of that, she decided that foreplay would have to be put on the back-burner–especially when they didn't have all that much time to be together before they reached the Fire Nation.

Grasping the sides of his face in her hands, Suki pulled him up to kiss her again, shifting him backwards so he was up against the wall again. She was on a new mission now, her hands trailing to his belt, quickly getting it off and tossing it to the side like the rest of their discarded clothing. She undid the clasp on his pants, and hooked her thumbs underneath the waistline and tugged, lifting herself up so she could successfully get his pants and underclothes down to his knees, where they would have to stay due to his leg.

The darkness of his blue eyes when she turned back to look at him made her shiver in anticipation. His hands went to her hips, frowning while tugging at the material that was the last barrier between their bodies, before getting impatient and ripping the sides easily, getting them off the easy way.

"Sokka!" Suki gasped, about to complain about her ruined clothing, but found that she couldn't care less about her underwear as his fingers began to explore between her thighs. She wondered belatedly why she chose to even wear underwear in the first place.

Her need matched his own as she jerked against his hand as it worked; he had learned what she liked, she'd give him that.

"Now," she said breathlessly, slightly surprised at how quickly and easily he lifted her up by her hips. She positioned him at her entrance, and he slowly brought her down onto his erection. They stayed still at first, breathing heavily, looking each deeply in the eyes–he was still being gentle, she mused, smiling inwardly, reminiscing about their first couple of times together, where he believed that she would shatter if he really exerted himself with her.

She moved in to kiss him, and just before her lips touched his, she looked him in his half-closed eyes and whispered, "I love you," before kissing him. She started to rock against him, drawing a low moan from the back of his throat as they kissed. His grip on her hips tightened as they helped her move and pick up the pace.

They worked together, keeping a good rhythm. The position was new for them, as well as sex in general–but they knew very well that practice made perfect. Breaking the kiss, Suki gasped for air, her head dropping back as her eyes fluttered shut again as she moved against him, meeting thrust for thrust. Before she knew it, his mouth was hot on her skin. He kissed and licked any skin he could reach with his mouth, and paid special attention to her breasts, teasing each one with his tongue. He kissed his way up to her neck again, darkening the mark he had left before, every so often grunting and moaning her name.

She moaned louder than she intended to as she moved a little faster, feeling the tension growing between her legs like fire. She felt whole with him inside of her, like he was the missing piece of her that she didn't know she had lost. Reaching for him, she jerked his head up to face hers and crashed her lips against his, riding him harder, the need for release growing stronger and stronger.

"Feels so good," she mumbled, breathing heavily. Her hand gripped his shoulder as she continued to move on top of him, grinding against him. She leaned down to kiss his neck, mirroring the action that he had done to her–_like she didn't know about it_ _leaving a mark_–but biting him instead of sucking. He jerked, but moaned, and if it was even possible, she felt herself being turned on more by the sounds of his moans. Taking his moaning as a good sign, she bit him again before blowing cool air on it; she licked and nipped her way back to his mouth, kissing him roughly.

"I can't last much longer with you doing that," he groaned, his breathing labored when she pulled away.

"Let go," she said softly, riding the waves of pleasure along with him. His face was flushed and she knew he was trying to hold out longer, just for her. "I'm so close, Sokka. Come with me."

As if those words unhinged whatever was holding him back, he felt himself going over the edge, biting down on her shoulder as he came to muffle the sound of his yell. At the sound of him coming, she came as well, holding onto him tightly until the last ounces of her orgasm ebbed away.

"Oh," she whispered softly, still trying to catch her breath as she slumped against him after he lifted her to pull out of her. "That was the first time I... I came during sex," she said as he was placed back down against him.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice low and husky. "You're not hurting anymore?" The first time they had made love, she _was_ in pain, yes, but she put up a brave front. The second time, it was mild discomfort, but she wasn't able to come the way he did–though he did make up for it with his mouth later on... but this time...

"No," she smiled, kissing his forehead. "Not anymore."

"Beautiful," he murmured, kissing her lips, this time lightly. Looking at her shoulder when they pulled away, he winced. "Good thing your shirt is going to cover that," he said, nodding his head in the direction of where he had bit her.

She gasped, running her hand over it, "Sokka! Good thing that does, but when you change back into your normal clothing, _that_," she pointed to his neck, "is going to be more noticeable."

"We _did_ just come out of a war, I'll make up a good story to go along with it," he grinned, shrugging. He kissed her again.

"You are good at that," she replied, thinking about earlier that day and smiled. "Too good."

"That's what I hear."

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was hot, slightly sweaty, kind of tired, hungry, and desperately wanted a bath, but... she had never been happier. Of course, most of it was Sokka's doing, literally, but she couldn't help the feeling as it overcame her.

She was in love, and the feeling was only growing.

She liked that feeling.

He had his hand on her back, drawing small circles with his index finger. He wondered how she fit so perfectly into his arms, and how she felt so small to him when she was so strong and fit. Loving her just kept getting better and better, it seemed, something he was totally unprepared for and unaware of (before). He wanted to show her more, be with her more, and that was hard when, even though they were together most of the time, family and friends loitered around, as well. These moments alone were rare, but he cherished them whenever they got a chance to steal away time for just themselves.

"I love you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you more," she responded, and Sokka felt her lips move on his skin as she spoke those words.

As a sudden thought struck Sokka, he knew now was the time that he had been waiting for, the perfect moment for...

"Suki," he took a deep breath, "would you marry-"

"No," she interrupted him, her lip twitching in an almost-frown that he felt on his skin. "Ask me again when you come down from your elated post-war, post-sex delirium. Please?"

"I can't do that," he mumbled against her shoulder. "I don't know if I want to come down from this, I like it too much. What I like even more about it is that you're here with me, safe and in my arms. That's how I want it to be for the rest of our lives."

"Sokka..." she mumbled into his neck. "Our lives are going to change drastically now that there's no war, no impending destruction of the world. We're going to have to go back to the lives we had before–"

"Suki, no," he shifted her in his arms so she could see his face. "We're not going back to the lives we used to have, especially if I have anything to say about it. The life I used to have consisted of me not knowing you, first and foremost. I was the only male left in our tribe that hadn't been taken or gone off to fight in the war, and now that the men will be back, there's going to be a lot of change. It's impossible for our lives to snap back like that. There's going to be a huge baby boom all over the world, too, since _you know_ that couples are going to..." he trailed off, now looking slightly panicked due to his sudden realization on the topic, but she put a hand up to his mouth, covering it.

"We'll talk about it if the time ever comes, just continue." She knew what he was thinking, and she was slightly worried about that, as well; however, she did trust her own words. Suki pulled her hand away, allowing him to pick up where he left off.

"... where was I? Oh, right." He sighed, "All of the nations, all four of them, are going to be much better off now that the war is over. The whole world was trapped, and now that it's set free, it's impossible for life to continue on the same path. We haven't lived in a world without war. We don't know what it'll be like–but I want us to be together for it every step of the way. I decided that a while ago, when Katara and Zuko went off on that field trip looking for the man who killed our mother... after the first time we, you know. I was, and still am, so determined to have you with me forever that I even made a horrible–but it's really the thought that counts– flower necklace for you, which I thought was genius until the necklace wilted while I was trying to wait for the perfect time to ask you. Then, after a while, I asked for Katara's help in making you a real betrothal necklace... since we all know my artistic ability is, uh, not that great." He smiled at her and she smiled back, kissing his forehead. "I finished it after a week of sneaking it behind your back (which was not easy, let me tell you), and eventually I had Toph help me with getting the carving just right since I did _not_ want to mess it up, and... it's with my stuff that we left back at the Order of the White Lotus' campsite, just waiting for you."

He couldn't help but notice the glassy look to her eyes before she buried her face into the crook of his neck again.

"I'm asking for real," Sokka said softly, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I thought I wouldn't get the chance to when I saw you fall, when the airship split in two, earlier. I thought my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest at the thought of you actually being gone. I love you too much to let you go and live normal lives without each other. We need to live semi-normal lives together, and wherever you go, just know I will follow you."

"Semi-normal?" She couldn't help but cry, now, something she had been so against doing in front of him, but his words... she was powerless to him. They held onto each other tightly, and she even went as far as to wonder if he was crying, too–though she didn't have the heart to ask.

"If someone told me, when we first met, that I would be your wife, I probably would've rolled my eyes and asked if they were mentally stable. Now, I can't think about marrying anyone _other_ than you," she replied, her voice wavering. She pulled back in his embrace, smiling as he tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. He didn't cry, though it looked like he was close to it.

"You'll marry me, then?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded, slightly hypnotized by the look in his eyes, giggling softly as her excitement surged. His grin grew as he kissed her hard on the mouth, showing her how thrilled he was that she accepted. "Though if anyone asks how you proposed, make up a story, and make it good."

He chuckled. "I know I don't have the necklace with me now, but," he paused, then was struck with an idea as he undid his own necklace. "This one will have to made due before I can give you the real one, okay?"

She nodded, biting her bottom lip as she smiled, believing that she was trapped in a fantasy land. He put the necklace on her, fumbling with the hook a little bit, but eventually securing it. "It sucks that your shirt is going to cover it, but maybe it'll be better if people don't know for a while?"

She nodded in agreement, "We can tell them all together when everything dies down a bit." As an afterthought, she smiled, "Today has turned out to be the best day of my life, just so you know."

"Agreed. A war ending, great sex, and getting engaged all in one day? How can any other day compete?"

Deciding it would be a good time to start putting their clothes on and get back to the main floor with Aang, she moved from his embrace and stood. As she stretched her limbs, she noticed his grin and rolled her eyes.

"What? I happen to love this look of yours: naked and wearing a piece of me around your neck."

"I'm sure," she replied, smirking, watching him pull his pants back up and get himself adjusted. When she bent over to pick up her fallen clothes, he smacked her backside playfully, making her jump up and uncharacteristically squeal. She turned to glare at him, but couldn't help but laugh outright at the look of forced innocence on his face.

After they finished getting dressed, she helped him back onto his feet–well, foot. "How's your leg doing?"

"I've barely thought about it," he replied, pulling her to him as he leaned against the wall. She smiled, kissing his lips slowly, savoring his sweet taste on her tongue.

"_Uh, testing? Hello? Um, well, if you guys can hear me, we're almost there and I'm about to attempt to land this thing any minute now. I only have flying bison experience, so those who have airship experience, could you come and help me out? Thanks!_" Aang's voice interrupted their thoughts, prompting them to pull away from their kiss and chuckle.

"Ready?" Sokka asked, smiling down at her.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Lead the way."

He couldn't help but feel that her words meant something much deeper than going back to help Aang. When he saw the look in her blue eyes, his thoughts were confirmed. So, what did he do? He took the first determined step into the future, an arm around the woman he loved and a grin on his face.


End file.
